Gansbaai Shark Cage Diving

Gansbaai Shark Cage Diving

Your white shark diving trip starts in Kleinbaai, just a few minutes’ drive outside of Gansbaai. Early morning you arrive at your shark operators’ crew house. Enjoy breakfast on location whilst listening to the dive briefing. Choose your wetsuit and other gear to be loaded onto the boat before walking down to the jetty ready to depart. The boat, which is operated by qualified and competent crew members, including a skipper, dive master and deckhand, sets off on a 20-minute journey before anchoring the famous Shark Alley. The crew members are also trained in skills such as firefighting and medical emergencies.

Book In Real Time

Click “Book a Dive” >

Choose a Trip >

Book & Pay >

Get Instant Confirmation >

Go Diving >

We’ve been operating in Gansbaai for over 12 years and work with only the most experienced operators, utilising the latest boats and highest safety standards. Shark Divers is owned by a founding member of the original shark dive booking office in Gansbaai, ensuring a professionally arranged and hassle-free trip.

Your white shark diving trip starts in Kleinbaai, just a few minutes’ drive outside of Gansbaai. Enjoy breakfast on location whilst listening to the dive briefing.

Book In Real Time

Click “Book a Dive” >

Choose a Trip >

Book & Pay >

Get instant confirmation >

Go Diving >

We’ve been operating in Gansbaai for over 12 years and work with only the most experienced operators, utilising the latest boats and highest safety standards.

Details

Gansbaai Season – All year No Experience Necessary From R1380 per person

Get in Touch:

Get in Touch:

Instagram Feed:

The Trip

After anchoring, the crew starts to chum for the sharks. Chum is a mixture of tuna heads; pilchards and fish oil all mixed up and blended with sea water. This mixture is thrown overboard almost continuously throughout the day in order to create an oily chum slick. The shark sees this and then stays interested in the boat as otherwise, it would circle the boat once or twice and then leave. The bait is not fed to the sharks but it is kept in the water in order to keep the sharks’ interest in the boat and cage.

Once the sharks have arrived the cage is put in the water. Should the sharks be comfortable with the cage and they hang around the first divers may enter the cage. Before you get into the cage you put your dive gear on which includes a wetsuit with hoodie and booties along with a mask. Not all boats supply weight belts so make sure that you request this prior to your trip should you wish to use it. No air devices are used, great white sharks do not like the noise or sight of bubbles and as we want them to come as close to the cage as possible we simply let you hold your breath and pull yourself below the water for a few seconds at a time. As the sharks mostly circle the boat you will have more than enough dive time to view the sharks as they pass the front of the cage.

You will spend about 20 minutes in the cage after which another set of divers will enter the cage whilst you enjoying the viewing from the boat. Should you not wish to cage dive, don’t worry. The viewing from the boat is exceptional and as a non-diver, you will also have an awesome experience! For those die-hard divers out there, you are welcome to enter the cage a second time. The boat is at sea for roughly 2 to 3 hours depending on the condition. Onboard you can enjoy the complimentary mineral water, snacks and drinks. No alcohol or smoking is allowed on any of the great white shark cage diving boats in Gansbaai.

The boat returns to Kleinbaai harbour and all the divers and non-divers now get a chance to view the day trip DVD whilst enjoying lunch. The day trip DVD is a DVD which is filmed on the day of the trip. The film is of the entire group and you have an option to purchase this as a souvenir. It is immediately available after your shark trip.

The boat, which is operated by qualified and competent crew members, including a skipper, dive master and deckhand, sets off on a 20-minute journey before anchoring in the famous Shark Alley.

After anchoring, the crew starts to chum for the sharks. Chum is a mixture of tuna heads; pilchards and fish oil all mixed up and blended with sea water. This mixture is thrown overboard almost continuously throughout the day in order to create an oily chum slick.

Once the sharks have arrived, the cage is lowered into the water. No air devices are used, as great white sharks do not like the noise or sight of bubbles, we simply let you hold your breath and pull yourself below the water for a few seconds at a time. As the sharks mostly circle the boat you will have more than enough dive time to view the sharks as they pass by the cage.

You will spend about 20 minutes in the cage after which another set of divers will enter the cage whilst you enjoying the viewing from the boat. Should you not wish to cage dive, the viewing from the boat is exceptional, non-divers also have an awesome experience! For those die-hard divers out there, you are welcome to enter the cage a second time.

The boat returns to Kleinbaai harbour and all the divers and non-divers now get a chance to view the day trip DVD whilst enjoying lunch. The film is of the entire group and you have an option to purchase this as a souvenir. It is immediately available on DVD after your trip.

Trip Itinerary

Please note that this is just a rough guideline, the times are confirmed a day before the dive relating to tides and weather. On busy days there will be two or three trips depending on the operator.

Morning Trip

5:30 – Pick up from Cape Town Address (if shuttle from Cape Town is Booked)

Gansbaai Stay & Dive Packages

1 Night With Shark Dive

2 Nights With Shark Dive

The town of Gansbaai, South Africa

Situated on the South-East coast of South Africa is the town of Gansbaai. The name translates as “bay of geese”. This fishing town and very popular tourist destination for Great White Shark cage diving was so named in 1881 by 18-year-old fisherman Johannes Cornelis Wessels, who walked there from Stanford across the dunes and discovered that fishing in the area was really good. It was named Gansbaai because of a huge colony of Egyptian Geese that gathered at the fresh water fountain in what is known today as Gansbaai Harbor. Prior to 1881, the people of Khoi-descent built the first fishing-cottages in Stanford’s Bay in 1811. The Khoi people thrived in this area until the arrival of the first white settlers at the end of the 18th century.

The white settlers were nomadic farmers and copied the sheep farming techniques used by the Khoi. Grazing pastures were plentiful and very fertile, and the farmers would let their sheep graze in one area and then move to another area when the feed was exhausted. Gansbaai remained a simple fishing village due to it being so isolated and having no communication with the outside world up until the 20th century.

In 1852, the troopship HMS Birkenhead was wrecked off Danger Point in Gansbaai. Young Welsh and Scottish soldiers were on their way to fight the local Xhosa people. Their families were traveling with the soldiers. It became a famous event due to the “women and children first” protocol being applied for the first time ever. The women and children were all saved but 445 men, mostly soldiers, perished. Surviving horses swam ashore and became the ancestors to a feral herd that was around Gansbaai until late in the 20th century. The ship collided with a barely visible rock, now known as Birkenhead Rock. The Danger Point lighthouse was constructed in 1895 to provide more security for the ships in the dangerous waters.

In 1939 a small factory was built in Gansbaai to process shark livers for Vitamin A and lubricant, giving the town an economic boost. These products were in demand in World War II. The few years of prosperity ended after the war was over. A local school principal, Johannes Barnard, eventually convinced the fisherman to build a Fishery Cooperative. It was the first in South Africa. The economy then started to recover. The capital was obtained from the Fisheries Development Corporation, making it possible to establish a fish meal factory. They also made the harbor deeper. The canning division is today still the largest of its kind in the Southern hemisphere, offering huge employment opportunities for locals.

In 1963, Gansbaai became a municipality. An increasingly large part of their economy comes from tourism, but the economy still revolves around its fishing industry. National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and world-renowned researchers have all made documentaries about the Great White Shark capital of the world. The famous Shark Alley and Dyer Island is situated about 8.5 km offshore from Gansbaai.

Since about 1995, tourists from all over the world can now book a Great White Shark Cage Dive with local Shark Diving companies who are all extensively involved in conservation and education. Whale-watching is also very popular in Gansbaai, with the Southern Right Whales visiting the shores annually to calf. Along with all these exciting adventures available, the Marine Big Five can all be seen here at the right time. They are Whales, Dolphins, Seals, Sharks, and Penguins. So put Gansbaai on your places to visit list, there is something for everybody to enjoy.

Situated on the South-East coast of South Africa is the town of Gansbaai. The name translates as “bay of geese”. This fishing town and very popular tourist destination for Great White Shark cage diving was so named in 1881 by 18-year-old fisherman Johannes Cornelis Wessels, who walked there from Stanford across the dunes and discovered that fishing in the area was really good. It was named Gansbaai because of a huge colony of Egyptian Geese that gathered at the fresh water fountain in what is known today as Gansbaai Harbor. Prior to 1881, the people of Khoi-descent built the first fishing-cottages in Stanford’s Bay in 1811. The Khoi people thrived in this area until the arrival of the first white settlers at the end of the 18th century.

The white settlers were nomadic farmers and copied the sheep farming techniques used by the Khoi. Grazing pastures were plentiful and very fertile, and the farmers would let their sheep graze in one area and then move to another area when the feed was exhausted. Gansbaai remained a simple fishing village due to it being so isolated and having no communication with the outside world up until the 20th century.

In 1852, the troopship HMS Birkenhead was wrecked off Danger Point in Gansbaai. Young Welsh and Scottish soldiers were on their way to fight the local Xhosa people. Their families were traveling with the soldiers. It became a famous event due to the “women and children first” protocol being applied for the first time ever. The women and children were all saved but 445 men, mostly soldiers, perished. Surviving horses swam ashore and became the ancestors to a feral herd that was around Gansbaai until late in the 20th century. The ship collided with a barely visible rock, now known as Birkenhead Rock. The Danger Point lighthouse was constructed in 1895 to provide more security for the ships in the dangerous waters.

In 1939 a small factory was built in Gansbaai to process shark livers for Vitamin A and lubricant, giving the town an economic boost. These products were in demand in World War II. The few years of prosperity ended after the war was over. A local school principal, Johannes Barnard, eventually convinced the fisherman to build a Fishery Cooperative. It was the first in South Africa. The economy then started to recover. The capital was obtained from the Fisheries Development Corporation, making it possible to establish a fish meal factory. They also made the harbor deeper. The canning division is today still the largest of its kind in the Southern hemisphere, offering huge employment opportunities for locals.

In 1963, Gansbaai became a municipality. An increasingly large part of their economy comes from tourism, but the economy still revolves around its fishing industry. National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and world-renowned researchers have all made documentaries about the Great White Shark capital of the world. The famous Shark Alley and Dyer Island is situated about 8.5 km offshore from Gansbaai.

Since about 1995, tourists from all over the world can now book a Great White Shark Cage Dive with local Shark Diving companies who are all extensively involved in conservation and education. Whale-watching is also very popular in Gansbaai, with the Southern Right Whales visiting the shores annually to calf. Along with all these exciting adventures available, the Marine Big Five can all be seen here at the right time. They are Whales, Dolphins, Seals, Sharks, and Penguins. So put Gansbaai on your places to visit list, there is something for everybody to enjoy.

Gansbaai Operators

Shark Diving Destinations

Trips depart from Simon’s Town in False Bay! We’ve been operating in Simon’s Town for over 12 years and work with the only the most experienced operators, utilising the latest boats and the very highest safety standards.

Durban is home to the world renowned Aliwal Shoal. We’ve been operating in Durban for over 12 years and work with the only the most experienced operators, utilising the latest boats and the very highest safety standards.

There is no doubt that Gansbaai, South Africa, is the great white shark capital of the world. We’ve been operating in Gansbaai, our home town for many years, working with the only the most experienced operators.

Mossel Bay lies in the beautiful Garden Route. The bay is very protected and great white shark trips take place here nearly daily in water that’s warmer than Gansbaai and Simons Town, so it’s possible to dive without a wetsuit.